


No Rest For The Wicked// Pacific Rim

by chaotic_billygoat13



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-18 17:04:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17584820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaotic_billygoat13/pseuds/chaotic_billygoat13
Summary: Clementine Jones (CJ) and her brother, David Jones (DJ), were Jaeger pilots since high school. Running one of the biggest rigs in the  history of Jaegers, yet hidden from the spotlight time and time again. They  weren't meant for the celebrities, so they teamed up with other Jaeger crews and they would hide in the background unless the media wasn't involved.When Kaiju separate the bond between pilots while the  system malfunction, funky shit happens.





	1. Losing a Partner

**Clementine's POV**

**~**

The migraines I could handle, but the constant reminder that was imprinted on the left side of my face was what got to me at times. The horizontal scar coming from my  hairline over to my eye lid and ending at the  bridge of my nose came from a piece of shrapnel flying from our broken Jaeger. The same Jaeger that killed my brother DJ the same year another Jaeger pilot lost his brother. My  therapist insisted I meet up with  him as a sort of coping technique, but that wasn't who I am to bother someone mourning to get over my mourning. Instead, I covered up my scar with makeup and my hair and went about my life. 

DJ and I were probably the best Jaeger team America had. We were always on call and loved what  we did, at least not until we teamed up with an Australian Jaeger team. I don't blame them for DJ's death; they're systems were failing due to the hits they took and the Kaiju was focused on us. It's easy to say I avoided them after  the public funeral. In fact, I never really got to know them in the first place. Only introduced myself and started the job. 

I was told by my father that they tried to reach  me occasionally, but I ignored them. Usually because I was too busy dealing with migraines and reoccurring nightmares leading to lack of sleep. The migraines came shortly after the accident- very shortly after. The very split-second moment our systems overworked themselves and DJ was ripped from the side of the helm, my brain was kicked into overdrive; and as our Jaeger fell into the bay, electrical surges flowed through me like I was a conductor. Ever since, it seemed like I couldn't stop thinking or my brain was trying to move faster than I was. As I was prescribed migraine medication, my  brain remained dormant, almost. I slept a little better at night and my  migraines dialed it down a bit. I  kept the  medication on me at all times in case the affects wore off. Nobody knew why I was getting such bad migraines, some ruled it out as being brain trauma healing. I ruled it as being a pain in the ass. 

~

"Clementine, are you going to come downstairs any time soon? Your aunt flew in from Barcelona just to see you." My father told me as he stood at the foot of my bed. This aunt he spoke of was from my moms side. Wanted nothing to do with me when I was born, wanted nothing to do with me after mom died, all she probably wants now is money. As if she didn't already have enough of it. 

"She doesn't care about us, why should I." I mumbled, hiding my face in my pillow and holding the  blanket over my head. 

"She does care about you, CJ. She's just busy in Barcelona and this is the only time she  could come see us since the funeral." he told me. I could only imagine the pained expression on his face, I just couldn't bear to see it. First he lost our mother, then his son; now  he's left caring for a miserable disaster he calls a daughter. 

"Clementine, just come downstairs and say hello, at least. You don't have to keep a conversation going if you don't want to. It's only for a few more hours." He plead. I sighed and pushed the blanket away from my head, shifting to look at him. 

"I can't promise I won't speak my mind if she starts blabbing about shit." I told him before sitting up in my bed. A smile crossed his mouth as he nodded. 

"You're an adult, you can speak for yourself." He said before leaving my room and retreating downstairs. I groaned and threw the covers off me and got off my bed. I threw a over sized black hoodie over top of my black tank top. I pulled on a pair of black cargo pants and walked out  of my room barefoot before going into the bathroom. I brushed my short blonde hair and tied it back at the base of my neck, my ponytail only being a couple inches long. I took a cleansing cloth and wiped down my face, not worrying about makeup, before slowly making my way down the stairs towards the living room. My fathers head was the first one to  turn, followed by my aunt. I kept my  grimace hidden as I took in her over 50 rich bitch look: thin, brightly colored scarves that are practically useless, clashing colors and patterns (especially that leopard print) and jeweled boots that came up to her ankles. 

"CJ, my  beautiful niece." She greeted, standing up and reaching her arms out. I turned slightly to block her as she came towards me for a hug. 

"Only dad calls me CJ now, Margret." I told her, keeping my  eyes down. She stopped walking and let her arms fall. 

"Oh you poor thing, everyone calls  you CJ." She stated as I walked past her and my dad to get to the kitchen where I got a glass of water to wash down my pills. 

"Marge, no one has called her CJ since the funeral. She prefers to go by Clementine." my dad spoke up as my aunt followed me into the kitchen. 

"Oh don't  be silly. You're CJ to all of us." She said, stopping at the opposite side of the  island as me. "You know what you need? A vacation. You could stay with me in my villa, it'll be fun." She suggested, but got no agreeing reaction from either of us. 

"You call me Clementine or you call me nothing at all and that  is final." I stated, placing the glass down on the counter rather harshly. 

"Excuse me,  young lady, but who do you think you are to raise your voice at me." her tone going cold. "Troy, I knew you raised her wrong. If only the court let me  take custody of her." She said rudely, causing me to  slam my hand down on the counter, getting both  of their attention. 

"You do not come into this house and take shit to me or my dad. If I went with you I would have done nothing with my life!" I  yelled at her. 

"And your brother would probably be alive!" she retorted. Her words took me by surprise. She should be grateful DJ and I became Jaeger pilots or else the world would probably be worse than it is. 

"Margret, I think you should leave now. Go find a hotel or something. You are not welcome here anymore." my father spoke for me, his calm demeanor turning rather sour instantly. 

"What? I can't see my  niece?" She refused. 

"Not if you're going to come into our home and take shit about my brother and if he were here, he would agree with me. Now leave before I make you." I threatened as I stared daggers through her. 

"Well, he's not. And it's you're fault, too. You're the older sibling, you should have died instead of him." She said as she began to leave. I stood there, shaken by her words, before following her to the door. She  grabbed her purse and slid on her eyesores she calls footwear before yanking open the  door to our farm house and stepping onto the porch. I followed fast and swift and without thinking, I pushed my arms forward and she tumbled down the five steps onto the warm dirt below. She looked up at me in disbelief, horror and disgust. 

"You've raised a monster, Troy!" she screamed as she stood up. "She's no better than the Kaiju!" She said, running to her rental car as a man got  out of a car at the end of the  short drive. I watched from the top of the stairs as she drove off and the dark skinned man walked up to us. I felt my father wrap an arm over my shoulder. 

"You gonna get mad at me for pushing her?" I asked, letting my head fall forward, my gaze at my feet. 

"No.. she deserved it. She was being a disgrace to this family." he told me. 

"More than I am?" I asked as the man stopped near where her car was parked.

"You're not a disgrace, Clementine. We all know you had nothing to do with David's passing." he told me, rubbing my arm and pulling me closer to him. 

"Dad, who's that man?" I asked, looking back up. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and looked awfully familiar. 

"I'll go check. Stay  here." Dad told me as he stepped down the stairs and up to the man. I sat on the top step and placed my arms across my knees. I rested my head on my arms as my dad shook hands with the man in our yard. They spoke quietly and I couldn't hear them at all. It seemed to go well until my dad turned to me and held his hand out. The man seemed to nod a thanks before walking over to me. I stiffened, but didn't move until the man was at the bottom step. 

"Miss. Jones, my name is Stacker Pentecost." he introduced. Boy, his name sounded familiar. "I'm the man in charge of the Jaeger program before and after the government decommissioned us. Is there some place private we can talk?" he continued. I looked him in the eye before nodding. I stood up and walked for the door. He followed and soon after, my dad followed us inside as well. 

"I'll be upstairs." dad told me before planting a kiss on my forehead and retreating upstairs. I walked into the kitchen as Stacker looked around the house. 

"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked him softly. I wasn't used to having visitors. 

"No thank you." he said. I walked into the kitchen to get my glass of water from earlier, but he followed me there as well. 

"Miss. Jones there's something very important we need to discuss about your past as a Jaeger pilot." He started, his tone going so stern it almost terrified me. I looked up at him with worry as he pulled an large golden envelope out of his pocket, folded down the middle. Please take a look at these." he told me, sliding the envelope across the island. I slid my finger over the top of the envelope before undoing the string that held it closed. I reached inside and pulled the contents out and photos fell onto the counter top. I set the envelope to the side as I read a report of some sort. 

 **Patient 1: Clementine Jones** **Current state: Coma**

**Patient is receiving sedatives to decrease chances of waking before the brain damage and internal bleeding is concluded. Showing signs of heavy and increasing brain activity. Good chance patient will wake from coma eventually. Heart beat steady, blood pressure normal and no subconscious reactions to any procedure.**

"This is one of the last reports we received from the hospital before you woke up. Exactly 5 weeks after the accident in the harbor." Stacker told me as I set the report down and picked up pictures that looked like brain scans. "That is your brain activity while you recovered. This is before and after you woke up and before you were released from hospital. We've managed to track each brain scan to every time your thoughts went back to the attack. All the flares of activity is your mind going into overdrive." Stacker explained as I flipped through the pictures. 

"And how is that important?" I questioned quietly. 

"We believe that when the systems in your Jaeger malfunctioned the same time your brother was ripped from the helm, it caused a two way connection to remain inside your subconscious mind. Something we have never seen before in any of our Jaeger pilots. Even since the first Kaiju attacked." he explained. 

"What does this mean?" I asked, mostly to myself. 

"We believe you could pilot a Jaeger on your own. We have one made already. Smaller than the rest, but just as deadly. If you'll allow, I'd like to take you to our shatter dome in Hong Kong. Your father can come too." he explained, earning every bit of my attention, plus some. I tried to recall any events in which a Jaeger pilot every manned a Jaeger on their own. All I could think of was the pilot that lost his brother same year I lost mine; managed to bring the Jaeger to the shore in Alaska, but it almost killed him. So how could I possibly control a Jaeger on my own? 

"You seem to have a lot of questions. The only way I could answer them is bringing you to Hong Kong." Stacker informed me in a calm and slightly sympathetic tone. All I  could do was nod. We wouldn't know unless we tried. 

"Alright then. I shall let you prepare for your flight." He said before placing another envelope on the counter before turning and walking out the house. The sound of the front door closing seemed to be a dinner bell to my dad because seconds later, he was in the kitchen and opening the last envelope. 

"What are we going to Hong Kong for?" he asked, but I couldn't answer. I just brushed past him and upstairs to my  room. I grabbed my duffel bag threw a bunch of clothes in; mainly old ripped jeans and cargo pants and long sleeves. I folded my bomber jacket neatly and placed it on top of all my undergarments and socks. My brother and I got matching jackets after our first take down as Jaeger pilots. A celebratory thing, really. As I finished packing up my stuff from the bathroom, my  dad seemed to read my mind and had his things packed as well. 

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked as we crossed paths in the hallway. I kept my  head and gaze down as I threw my bag down the stairs. 

"Yes, I need to." I answered before stepped down the  stairs, my dad following shortly behind. As we threw our bags on the front porch, another car pulled up and out walked another man dressed in a suit like Stacker was. Following them was my aunts rental car. Greeaat. 

"Dad!" I called into the house as he locked up and had our plane tickets in hand. He took one look out into the drive way and groaned. 

"Lord, don't do this now." he prayed quietly as my aunt came storming up to the house with a man behind her; probably her weak excuse of security. 

"Troy, I warned you this would happen if you didn't do anything about her!" she screamed, pointing at me. I watched as the men in the other vehicle were talking to  each other, while one seemed to be talking through a radio of sorts. The man my  aunt brought  with  her seemed to be going right for me. I backed up to the stairs and practically leaped to the  top of the porch as the man tried to go for me. I panicked, screamed and sent a punch straight for his throat- a defense mechanism that works every time. 

I watched as my aunt shrieked in horror and her new bodyguard crumbled to the  ground, holding his neck and gasping for air. The other men in the vehicle only nodded like they were impressed. 

"And I thought I told you not to provoke her." my dad said to my aunt, a smug look on his face. The men from the first vehicle began to walk up to the porch, their stern and professional demeanor returning. I noticed  it when they first got out of the vehicle and assumed they worked for Stacker. I ignored my aunt and her bodyguard as the one stopped at the bottom step. 

"Miss. Jones, I work for Stacker Pentecost. He sent us to bring you to the airport." he informed me as the other one grabbed our bags from the  porch, avoiding my aunt entirely as she yelled at him to have me apprehended for assault. I nodded to the first one and turned to look at my dad. 

"Ready to go?" I asked with a nervous smile, earning a nod and an equally  as nervous smile from my dad. We followed the men to the  vehicle, our bags were put in the back and we took our seats in the back seat while the two men got back in the drivers and passenger seats. My aunt continued to scream at us until we left the  driveway. Before we left the property, I watched her give up and get back into her car with her stunned bodyguard. We got half way down the gravel road before she started following us. 

"Just ignore her, Clementine. She can't do anything." my dad told me before I turned back around and settled in my seat. The rest of the trip to the airport was silent. I listened to the radio chatter, but it was nothing but people asking about our ETA or position. Upon arrival to the airport, the second man got our bags out while the first man pulled us aside to talk to us. 

 "When you get to bag check, go to the express line up and show the person there these." He started, showing us lanyards with ID cards at the bottom. "That person will then call for Security Check and you will be escorted straight to a gate where you will board a public plane, but when you land in Hong Kong, you will then  board a helicopter to the shatter dome where Stacker will meet you." he finished, handing us our lanyards. Without another word, the second man dropped our bags at our feet and got back in the car with the other man and they took off out of the parking lot. I looked at my dad, but he only shrugged before picking up his bag. I followed suit before we weaseled our way through the busy airport. The thought of that day in Australia kept coming to mind the closer we got to the bag check. I began to feel a little tingle in the base of my skull and I stopped dead in my tracks. 

"What's wrong?" my dad asked, stopping with me as people quickly moved and glared at  us. 

"I think.....I think my migraines coming back." I stammered before dropping to my knees and ripping through my bag in search of my meds. The pain increased substantially the more I rushed and panicked. I hadn't noticed my dad had run off and came back with a bottle of water just in time for me to  find the little orange pill bottle and rip it open. I swallowed the lump of water, a pill and pain and sat there waiting. My dad had taken the bottle of water and my pills from my  hands as I curled over, wrapped my arms around my head to block the  harsh lights of the airport. I waited and waited for the pain to decreased as my meds kicked in. 

"CJ, you alright?" My dad asked, closing my bag and putting my pills in a smaller, outside pocket for easy access. I sat up a little and let my arms fall. My breathing had quickened and I hadn't even noticed. I ran a hand  through my hair, pushing it back as I tried to calm down. "Clementine....?" my dad spoke softly. He and I both knew there was nothing he could do to help me with the migraines. 

"I think I'll be ok." I muttered as my breathing slowed and I felt my heart beat fall back to normal. I pushed myself off the ground and went to pick up my bag before my dad stopped me. 

"You deal with these, I'll take care of your bag." he told me, handing me the lanyards and the tickets. We started off towards the express line which was practically empty. When we got up to the line, my dad put down the bags and smile politely at the lady. 

"Can I see your ID and tickets please?" She asked politely. I showed her the lanyards and the tickets. She read them over carefully, scanned them and set them on her table before picking up a radio. 

"Security Check at express line please." She said softly into the radio and went back to standing tall and still, like a professional or robot, I couldn't tell. But within minutes, two guards followed a man dressed in a suit up to the booth. The man in the suit looked at the lanyards and tickets before turning to us. 

"Please follow me to your gate." He said as the two guards picked up our bags and followed behind us. I walked awfully close to my dad considering the airport was packed to its brim with people. It was still fairly early in the morning, probably no later than 11. 

"You'll be seated at the front, next to an exit. You are priority passengers which means you will get off the plane first." The man told us as we came into view of the gate where passengers were already seated, waiting for their flight. "You'll also be the first on the plane. Right hand side, three seats all to yourself, close to the window." he continued as we stopped at the desk. The attendant handed two bags to the man from behind the desk and he handed them to us. 

"Care packages. Help make the flight  a little smoother." He told us before walking away. The two guards handed our bags to us before leaving as well. 

"Follow me and we'll get you seated." the attendant said, leading us through the bridge and into the plane. The plane was big, really big; three rows of seats with each row containing three seats.

"We've never flown in this big of a plane, huh, CJ." my dad stated in awe. We didn't really fly anywhere to begin with, but when we did, it was cheap and small. 

"Yeah, this is a change." I said as I sat down in the window seat. There was extra leg room so I put my bag on the floor under the middle seat, the pocket with my pills facing me. I put my bottle of water on the middle seat with my 'care package'. My dad did the same and took his seat in the isle seat. He put his bag in the overhead compartment before sitting down and going through the package he was given. 

"Ear plugs, headphones, snacks, motion sickness pills, gum, drink powder, melatonin?" he listed out loud. The attendant came back with a couple tablets and my dad set them in the middle seat. 

"Great, now we can watch movies!" he said happily as the first couple people began to board the plane, followed by more. To our surprise, there wasn't many people on the flight when they closed the doors, but by the time they closed the doors, I was already starting to squirm and become restless in my seat. I wasn't sure how this flight was going to go so I took another migraine pill, a motion sickness pill and the sleeping pills to hopefully calm me down a bit and maybe get some sleep on this flight. I pressed the button and reclined my seat a little bit in hopes to relax. It did help a little, but I was still feeling restless while waiting for the pills to kick in. 

I tried listening to the attendant speaking over the PA system and giving the pre-flight announcement, but my mind was in a million other places. My grip on the end of the arm rests tightened as my stomach started to churn. I felt the engines begin and the plane rumbled softly until nothing. My dad looked over at me with a worried expression. 

"You ok, Clementine?" He asked, sitting up straight.

"Fine. Just gotta wait until the seat belt light turns off and I can walk around." I answered, shifting in my seat. There was no comfortable position in these seats, no matter how 'first class' they were. I felt the plane jerk forward and then start taxing towards the runway. I tried to think of calming things, but there was not a lot of calming things in my life at the moment. I put my seat back to its original position and pushed myself back into the seat as far as I could before bouncing my leg. My hands moved from the  arm rests to my knees as I bent forward a bit. Before I knew it, the plane sped up more and more each second. I sat back and put my hands back on the arm rests, the white knuckle grip I had on them returned. 

The force of the plane lifting off pushed me back into my seat and for once I wasn't feeling restless. The feeling of restlessness only returned when the plane reached its high altitude and went flat once more. I looked up and waited for the seat belt sign to switch off as my knee bounced rapidly and my stomach feeling off. 

"Come on, come on, come on." I muttered to myself. I had one hand on my seat belt buckle and one hand on the arm rest as I waited impatiently for the light to turn off. After about 10 minutes of discomfort and restlessness, the light turned off and I ripped my seat belt off and ran to the closest bathroom. I didn't even have time to lock the door before I was over the toilet puking up my guts. The pills seemed to have zero effect in helping me, but at least I felt less restless. 

I sat down on the floor, leaning against the toilet. I reached up and pressed the button and the contents were flushed into a septic tank of sorts. I tried to slow down my breathing before a light knock sounded on the door. 

"Miss. Jones, are you in there?" one of the attendants spoke softly. I leaned over and reached for the door knob, opening the door slightly before the attendants stepped in and shut the door behind her. She knelt down to my level, holding a bottle and a syringe. 

"Stacker Pentecost told us you would be on this flight. He prepared this for you." he told me, holding the two items out. I looked at both with worry. "Something to help you sleep on the flight." She finished. I nodded and she helped me up off the floor. I dusted my pants off and swayed a bit. She helped me out of the bathroom and into my seat. I put my seat belt back on as she readied a syringe. 

"What is that?" My dad asked, pointing to the bottle in the attendants hand.

"A harmless sedative to help her sleep on the flight. She should wake up by the time we reach the Philippines." she told him before administering the sedative into my arm. My restlessness came back for a split second before it went away and I felt myself becoming more and more drowsy. The attendant left the bottle and a clean, packaged syringe in the middle seat and gave some instruction to my dad before I blacked out, my head falling against the wall beside me.

**~End of Chapter 1~**


	2. Familiar Faces

**Clementine's POV**

**~**

When I woke up, I was tucked into a bed. I sat up and grimaced at the tiny strand of light that flowed through the curtains covering the window. I saw an empty bed beside mine and heard water being shut off in the bathroom. I threw the covers off me as the familiar tingle of pain came back in the base of my skull. I saw my pills and a glass of water on the beside table. At a rapid pace, I ripped open the bottle and downed my meds and the water. I curled once more, my head close to my knees as I waited for the effects to kick in. It wasn't as bad the one I had in the airport considering I got to my meds faster, but it still was a huge pain in the ass to take care of. 

Once the pain subsided, I sat back up and noticed I was still in my clothes from the day before, just minus my hoodie, socks and shoes. I stood up and saw my bag on a stool next to the window. I walked over and grabbed clean clothes as the bathroom door opened. 

"Hey, you're awake. I had to get guards to help me carry you into the room." my dad mentioned, setting clothes in his bag. 

"Where are we?" I asked, taking my clean clothes and a towel into the bathroom.

"Some airport hotel in the Philippines. One more flight and we'll be in Hong Kong." he told me. I nodded and shut the bathroom door behind me. Within minutes, I was showered and clean. I toweled dried myself and used the hair dryer to dry my hair. When I stepped out of the bathroom, my dad had breakfast waiting on the small dining table. 

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving." he said, beginning to eat as I put my clothes in my bag and sat down to eat with him. I too was starving. 

"how was the rest of the flight?" I asked, cutting up the waffles in front of me. 

"Quite nice, actually. Weather kept up fine. No crying babies. Snacks were nice." He answered in between eating. I nodded and ate my breakfast until I couldn't eat anymore. 

"Let's hope the food stays in my stomach this time." I joked, wiping my mouth with a napkin. 

"I still have the sedative if you need it." My dad told me, cleaning up his plate and utensils. I set my plate and utensils on the tray it came in with before making sure I had everything in my bag before placing it by the door. My dad did the same with his bag and before long, we were taking a serious of walkways to get to the airport and back on the same plane as yesterday. Same seats, same set up, same attendants. The attendant that helped me in the bathroom greeted me with a smile, to which I returned before taking my seat. I took another migraine pill before take off and the restlessness came back quickly. Once we were in the air, the same attendant came back and helped me administer another dose of the sedative, just less than last time so I actually wake up. I felt drowsy and the restlessness went away and before I knew it, my head was against the wall and I was fast asleep. 

~

I jolted awake as the plane came to a stop. I looked over to see my dad with  a terrified expression and a hand over his heart. I must have scared him when I woke up without warning. I smiled as the tingle in the base of my skull came back. I reached for my migraine meds and took one before the pain got worse. The effects stepped in just as the plane stopped at the gate. I grabbed my bag and threw the 'care package' in it before leaving the plane with my dad. We stepped down the stairs off the plane and was lead inside by more attendants. My  dad got out our lanyards and old tickets. From Australia to the Philippines to Hong Kong: what an adventure. Overall, there was about 10 hours of flight time. If we were still in America, it would have been longer. But after the accident in Australia, we never really left. My dad bought the farmhouse with the compensation money we got after DJ died. It wasn't a real farm house, but it had the look. It was more of a house with a huge yard, away from any people. We got a citizenship and kept our American citizenship so we had a back up plan. 

"Miss. Jones!" a voice yelled from across the entrance of the airport. I looked over and saw another man in a suit  holding a sign with my name on it. I looked at my dad before we walking over to him. 

"Welcome to Hong Kong. Follow me, I'll bring you to your chopper." he told us before leading us across the airport to another gate. I felt kind of drowsy from the sedative still and I was waiting for it to wear off. My dad walked behind me, probably to make sure I didn't get left behind and lost. I'm known for that a lot. 

"The ear plugs would be best for this flight, but you'll be given a headset so you can communicate with each other and the pilot." The man told us as we reached the helicopter. He stepped aside as a couple crewmen took our bags and strapped them into the floor under the seats. We were helped into the helicopter and took our seats that faced the front. We were helped with the seat belts before the door was shut and the crewman took their positions. The propellers started above us and within minutes we were in the air once again. Once we flew away from the airport, I took another migraine pill so I didn't have to deal with the pain again. High altitudes make the effects wear off sooner it seemed and I was bound to run out before I got home. But knowing my dad, he probably had some sort of back ups.

"Should only be about a 45 minute flight so try not to get too comfortable." the co-pilot told us through the headset. I turned my head to look out the small window beside me. The clouds above had started to form one big barrier from the sun in the sky and rain began  to pour heavily on us. We flew over the city until we hit open water. The chopper took a sharp left turn and before I knew it, we where flying dead on towards the shatter dome. It was quite a ways from the city, probably to protect the city from any malfunctions with drifts or Kaiju. 

"Prepare for set down. The rain will make  it a little  rough." the co-pilot told us. I watched as they maneuvered around a Jaeger being loaded into the shatter dome.  

"Isn't that Striker Eureka?" my dad asked, trying to see out another window on my side. 

"Yeah...." I said sadly. The crew wasn't the bad part, they were tolerable. But the thought and flashbacks of the accident wasn't so tolerable. But again, I couldn't and wouldn't blame them for my  brothers death. 

The pilots waited for the shatter dome crew to load the Jaeger inside before touching down on the deck outside. When the propellers shut off, I undid my seat belt and untied my bag. The crew was busy preparing the chopper on the ground so I took another migraine pill before we left. Stacker was waiting for us outside with a couple umbrellas. The crew opened the door and let us out. 

"Welcome to Hong Kong. I'm glad you made it safely." He said handing us the umbrellas. "Follow me, I'll show you to your Jaeger." he said before leading us inside. I threw the strap to my bag over my shoulder as I walked inside. Once we made it safely out of the rain, a couple workers took our umbrellas before hustling away. 

"We're still awaiting one more Jaeger and another gentlemen. I think you already know these two." Motioning to the Striker Eureka team. Both of them were still in their suits. They must have heard Stacker because their eyes were on us like hawks watching their prey. 

"I met them briefly before the accident. I hate to say I've mostly forgotten  about them until now." I mentioned, but quiet enough they couldn't hear me. 

"Well, I'll introduce you again." Stacker said before walking over to their station. 

"Gentlemen, welcome." he greeted as I followed a little farther behind him, my dad following close behind me, a protective hand on my shoulder. "I'd like you to meet Clementine Jones, and her father, Troy." Stacker introduced. "Clementine, this is Hercules and Chuck Hanson." he finished, moving aside. 

"We've met before. Brisbane. It's good to see you again." Herc stated, holding out his hand. I shook his hand with a tiny smile. 

"It's good to see you as well." I said, not sure what to say. 

"I'm really sorry about your brother. You two were probably the best Jaeger team to work with." Herc mentioned. 

"Thank you." I said back before he moved to shake hands with my father. Chuck just stood behind him, changing his glances between me, my  dad, Herc and Stacker. 

"This is my son, Chuck." Herc introduced, motioning to Chuck. Only then did he step forward. 

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said, holding out his gloved hand. 

"It has." I said, shaking his hand before the dog at his feet barked at me. 

"Easy, Max. She's friendly." Chuck said before turning to shake my father's hand. "You her new co-pilot?" he asked sincerely. 

"I'm not, no. Just here." My dad replied. 

"I heard you got yourself a new Jaeger, kid." Herc stated, but before I could say anything, Stacker spoke up. 

"That's where we're going next if you care to join us." he said, turning to leave like he was impatient. Herc and Chuck exchanged a glance before nodding. Stacker lead us through the Shatter dome, through halls and giant doors, enough to make one very confused. Herc and my dad became buddy-buddy and were talking between each other while following Stacker. I fell behind a bit, still feeling a little bit drowsy. I noticed Chuck had looked back before stopping. 

"You alright, there?" he asked, the other three not noticing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Meds are making me a little drowsy is all." I said with a bit of a forced smile. I hoisted my bag higher up on my shoulder and sped up my walking to catch up. 

"My old man told me you  were having some problems after Brisbane. After that day, Striker got a bit of an upgrade. Less chances of the same thing happening so the event doesn't repeat itself." he told me. 

"Striker still digital?" I asked, looking up at him a bit. 

"Yeah, she is. They didn't want to change that apparently." He replied before it went quiet between us. His dog, Max, was walking up with Herc and my dad so it was just us. 

"You know, we tried to reach you after Brisbane. All we got was your old man." He brought up. I didn't know if I was suppose to feel guilty or not, but a part of me did. 

"Yeah....I wasn't doing too good after the funeral. It was hard losing David after losing our mom all those years ago. I honestly don't know who had  it worse: me or my dad." I said. Usually, I wasn't this open with other people. What the fuck was wrong with me today? 

"It must have been bad for both of you. Your dad lost his son. And you lost your drift partner. That takes a toll on someone." he said as we caught up to the three ahead of us. They walked through the door to the operating room, but Chuck stopped by the door. "But if you were to ask me, I've only seen one other pilot come back to a shatter dome after losing their partner...and that's you. You got guts." He told me with an almost sympathetic half-smile. I returned the same half-smile before we walked into the  room, my fathers expression was almost curious. 

"We call this one the Goblin. Since it's smaller than the rest of the Jaegers, significantly, she has increased speed, agility and movement. We went back to nuclear with this one. Still has the standard two-pilot seating, but can be run by one pilot if needed. All the controls needed are on both sides so it  doesn't matter which side you choose." Stacker told us, but I'm sure the end of his great mini-speech was directed to me. Chuck, Herc and my dad looked equally confused. 

"What do you mean controlled by one? A drift needs two pilot." Chuck stated. Stacker looked at me with a look I couldn't name. He nodded at me, like  he wanted me  to explain.

"During the Brisbane attack, our original Jaegers systems also failed, but at the same time David was ripped from the helm. Stacker believes the drift is still intact and inside my subconscious. They think I might  be able to pilot a Jaeger on my own." I explained, hoping to get everything Stacker told me back home included. 

"The two-way connection shared  between two pilots remains in her mind and if we're correct, we may be able to open into her subconscious and she can pilot on her own. It would increase our chances of getting to the breech and finishing the mission with less casualties than predicted the  first time." Stacker added. My dad looked  at me  with great sympathy. 

"That must be where all the migraines come from." He concluded. All I could do was nod. 

"We built the Goblin a little smaller than the rest of the Jaegers, make it easier to control. Less strain on the mind if our hypothesis is true." Stacker finished. I looked over at the Jaeger and was surprised how much  it resembled our old Jaeger. It was mostly dark  green with black accents that went mostly unnoticed. The helm was the same except the visor was grey in color instead of golden yellow like the last one. 

"We wanted to keep most of  the original features. The chainsaw like blades were very interesting to add on." Stacker told me, looking at the Jaeger with complete admiration before turning to me. "I hope you'll find it just as good as the last one." he said quietly before turning to walk out of the control room. Herc followed shortly after. Chuck seemed to hesitate before following his dad and my dad stayed back with me. When I knew they were gone, I was  able to let  the tears I've been holding back flow. It wasn't like full on crying, just the escape of a few tears. 

My vision blurred and I continued  to take in the Goblin's appearance. I felt my dad wrap an arm around my shoulder before he wiped the  tears from my cheeks. I sniffed and tried to control the flow of tears, but it was no use. 

"If he was here, he'd be right  in there with  you." he told  me  in a hoarse voice like he was trying to hold back  tears of his own. 

"He'll still be there. He'll just be in the drift instead of beside me." I told him before moving my sleeves to cover my hands and running my hands across my eyes, the  scar on my face tingling like  it  always did. 

"Boy, your mom would be proud of you if she  say this. David would be proud too." My dad told me, looking down at all the commotion going on below us as workers scrambled to finish last minute preparations. 

"Are you proud?" I asked him, pushing my hands back out of my sleeves and crossing my arms over my chest. 

"Of course I am, Clementine. Of course I am." He answered, wiping his eyes. 

"Then that's all that matters." I mumbled before hoisting my bag back up on my shoulder and turning to leave. My dad did the same as we walked out of the room, only to see Stacker  waiting for us. 

"I had to give you two separate rooms. We're packed full at the moment." He said in an apologetic tone. I only nodded. Herc came back, but in his regular clothes instead of his suit. 

"I'll show you to your room, Troy. It appears we're neighbors." He said to my dad. My dad turned to me before he left. 

"I'll see you later, Ok?" he said. I nodded before he and Herc left our sight. I turned to Stacker and forced a smile. 

"Where to next?" I asked, trying to be a little optimistic. 

"Follow me." he said, smiling at my apparent change of attitude. We walked down more hallways in silence. Workers buzzed and ran around us like river around a rock. 

"I want you to know we are all very proud and grateful you came back to us. You could be the turning point in the Jaeger program." he told me as he slowed his walking pace to match my drowsy speed. 

"I hope I can be useful." I muttered, lowering my  head again. 

"You are useful. I have a back  up plan ready in case our hypothesis is wrong. You don't have to worry about a thing." He said, stopping in front of a set of steps leading up to a door. He looked at me with his same stern look. "All you have to do is what you do best and you'll be alright." he told me with a smile before handing me a key. 

"I'm guessing this is my room." I said, taking the key from him. 

"It is. Dinner is 4:30 to 6:30. Food is actually pretty decent." he said, almost like he was trying to cheer me up. "I'll let you get settled." he finished, before  walking away towards the way we came. I watched as he turned a corner before letting out a sigh and walking up the steps. I unlocked the door and pushed it open before closing and locking it behind me. I set my bag down on the floor  beside the bed. This room was the same room I had when DJ was here. Of course, we had separate rooms then and probably still would now if he were here. But then I remembered we never stationed in Hong Kong so they must have emptied the room I had in what ever station we were in last and moved it here with the intentions of making it have the same layout. 

The pictures I always  had of DJ and I were in the same spots. The bed seemed to have the same blankets and pillows and the bathroom had the same great smelling soap. All the little things brought me great comfort and I knew it would make my stay here a little more bearable. I noticed some of my old clothes were still here. They were probably going to bed a little small considering a lost a bunch of weight since my brothers death. I used to be a little bulkier  with more muscle, now I was like a limp noodle. I tried to keep up my strength and endurance since the Brisbane attack. Most of the time a good run down the gravel road and back helped me clear my mind when I was dealing with emotions. Doing push ups or sit ups before bed was a good way to settle down if I  was ever angry at something or someone. 

I knew I was bound to be bored so I kicked my bag under my bed and changed into a pair of old, navy blue cargo pants that were still in one of the drawers. I had to do the belt up an extra notch since my waist was skinnier than before. I slipped out of my hoodie and long sleeve shirt and before I pulled the blue tank top over my  head, I caught a glimpse of myself in the wall mirror. My left side took most of the damage in Brisbane since that was the side DJ was on. Shrapnel flew everywhere as the Kaiju ripped the left half of the helm off with its teeth. A ten inch scar fell right along the space in between a couple ribs. Another started above my left hip and disappeared under my pants. Everyone thought I wouldn't feel that leg after, but it works just fine. 

I  peeled my  eyes away from the mirror and pulled the shirt over my head, followed by a black long sleeve button up. I tucked the shirts into my pants before rolling up the sleeves of the button up. I pulled my bag out from under my bed and threw my old clothes inside and grabbed a pony tail. My hair was cut just above the shoulders and didn't grow out too fast. It was naturally wavy, but my brothers had coil curls, just like my mom did. My dad had the same wavy hair I did, just a darker shade of blonde. He kept his hair slicked back most of  the time. 

I kept the hair tie around my wrist just in case I needed it later before grabbing my key and leaving my room. I locked the door and turned to see Max sitting at the bottom step. He looked up at me, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. I looked around and didn't see Chuck or Herc, but  the door to the room across from me was open. I stepped down and sat on the second step. Max put his front paws up on the first step and I scratched behind his ears a little bit. 

"I hope he's not drooling on you." a familiar voice said. I looked up and saw Chuck locking the door across the hall. "He gets all wound up when he's around pretty girls." Max jumped down from the step and ran to Chuck and barked once at him. I smiled as I stood up from my seated position. 

"You going down for dinner?" he asked as he attached a leash to Max's collar. 

"To be honest, I don't actually know what I'm  going to do." I answered. It was the truth  after all. After all the emotions earlier, I wasn't sure if I was hungry or needed to puke again, but I prayed I was hungry. 

"Well, Max and I were going down to get some chow. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like." he offered. What else was I going to do? Sit alone and watch as people work  or eat? 

"Sure. Got nothing better to do anyway." I said with a smile. I walked by Chuck's side considering I didn't know where I was going. This place was not like the  last place I was stationed at. 

"So, how you liking the place so far?" he asked, probably trying to make some sort of conversation. 

"It's confusing. I'll probably get lost sooner or later and with my luck, it'll be when something important is happening. But other than that it's ok." I answered, earning a chuckle from him. When I was younger, I was always known for making people smile, especially if they were down, but then again, I knew when I wasn't wanted. 

"Yeah, at least you were probably shown to your room. I had to find mine on my own. For once I almost considered making a map of the place." he laughed. 

"Stacker must know this place like the back of his hand if he can find his way through this place with no problems." I stated as we rounded a corner, only to see Stacker standing there talking to a young girl. 

"Ah, speak of the devil!" Chuck exclaimed. 

"You were speaking of me?" He questioned, turning a bit. 

"Only how you must have the layout of this place memorized and we keep getting lost." I explained with a goofy grin. Stacker only shook  his head and smiled back. He turned to the  girl and said something to her before she left. 

"So, where are you two off to?" He questioned, turning to us. 

"Food. Flying for 10 plus hours drains a person." I answered, earning a low chuckle from Chuck. 

"Well, if you  don't mind eating later, I have one more thing to show you." Stacker told me. I looked over to Chuck  with the intent of saying something, but he beat me to it.

"Max and I'll go save a seat for ya. I can't promise he  won't eat everything, though." He told me before leaving with a wink. I shrugged and turned to Stacker, awaiting new order. 

"Follow me, we have to get your suit preparations finished." He told me before walking in the same direction the girl went. "We rebuilt your suit with different materials. It's stronger in some areas to protect were you've had past wounds." he explained as we rounded a corner. A couple guards moved out of the way as the door opened for us. We walked into a room with many tables with materials scattered all over them. A few stands stood tall , some holding complete suits and others holding bits and pieces. 

"We wanted to go with the color scheme of your last suit, but we decided to wait for your opinion." the young girl spoke as we entered. 

"Clementine, this is Mako Mori. She's in charge of anything that doesn't need the command center. One of my brightest." Stacker introduced. Mako had stopped right in front of me. 

"It is an honor to meet you, Miss. Jones." she said, bowing  before me. 

"Please, call me Clementine." I told her politely. 

"Of course." She said with a smile before motioning for me to follow her. 

"We took into account the Brisbane attack when  we remade your suit. But since we didn't know which side of the  Jaeger control center you were going to pick, we strengthened both sides so prevent any major injury if the helm is ripped open again." Mako explained as she showed me the blue  prints  up on a screen comparing my old suit and my new suit. 

"You added stronger materials to the ribs. Is it going to impede movement?" I  asked, taking my  eyes off the blueprints. 

"The material we used is more permeable than others. Swift movements like bending, leaning, running or jumping aren't affected, but impacts directly on the armor are slowed, causing less harm to the user." Mako answered. 

"We want you to be safe when piloting on your own. Tomorrow after Mr. Becket's trials, we can commence a trial to test our hypothesis. We'll have the Goblin set  up on the deck outside in case  of any malfunctions." Stacker added, standing next to a stand holding pieces of what looked like my suit. I only nodded. 

"Now, I don't want to keep you from dinner any longer so the only thing left is you choose you color scheme." Stacker told me. Our old color scheme was dark  green to match  our Jaeger, but matching colors seemed like a thing of the past to me now. 

"Dark." I mumbled. The pieces put up on the stand were like an ink black. "Let's just make the whole suit that color." I said, pointing at the pieces already up. 

"Wish granted. We have that color all ready to go." Mako told me. I nodded with a smile. 

"Now that this is settled, you make go. Enjoy your dinner, Miss. Jones." Stacker told me before the door opened. I thanked him and Mako before leaving. The door shut behind me and the only  problem I had then was trying to find the dining hall. 

**~End of Chapter 2~**


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